Tuesday, April 26, 2011

After descending a distance of 99 km from Gangotri and travelling for most of the day, we concluded Day 2 by paying a visit to the temples of the religious town of Uttarkashi.

Situated on the banks of River Bhagirathi is Uttarkashi, an important pilgrim centre which is often equated with Kashi (Varanasi). It is situated at an elevation of 1150 meters. During Magh Mela, people visit Uttarkashi to take a holy dip in Bhagirathi along with their village deity.

The entrance to the famous Kashi Vishwanath and the Shakti Temples of Uttarkashi

Kashi Vishwanath Temple

The Kashi Vishwanath Temple of Uttarkashi

The entrance to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple

The Shivling at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple of Uttarkashi

Dedicated to Lord Shiva, Kashi Vishwanath Temple is an ancient and the most famous temple in Uttarkashi. It is said to have initially been built by Sage Parshuram and which was later renovated by Maharani Khaneti, wife of Sudarshan Shah in 1857. The Shivling is 60 cms in height and 90 cms in circumference. This is the most important shrine of Uttarkashi and should not be missed if you are traveling to this part of the country.

An ancient slab of black stone with some inscriptions

outside the Vishwanath Temple

Guess the time at which these pictures were taken? It was just around 5.00 pm! Still it looks like its very late into the night, isnt it? The sun sets early in these areas, especially in the winters, and it gets dark pretty quick. By 9 pm, everything is wrapped up and people are back in their homes!

Shakti Temple

The Shakti Temple in Uttarkashi

The Trident seen at the base in the Shakti Temple

The Trident seen at the Shakti Temple in Uttarkashi

Just opposite to the Vishwanath temple is the Shakti Temple. The main attraction here is a huge and heavy trishul (trident) - 6 meters in height and 90 cms at the bottom which was thrown at the devils by Goddess Durga. The trishul, as the priest told us, is made of iron in the upper part and copper in the lower part and is revered as a form of Shakti. One amazing feature of the trishul is that it cannot be moved with your entire body force but it vibrates the moment you apply pressure with one of your fingers! That was indeed some kind of magic!

Other Temples in Uttarkashi

We also visited two other local temples - the Kandar Devta Temple and the Temple dedicated to Parshuram – an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

Parshuram Temple in Uttarkashi

Kandar Devta Temple in Uttarkashi

Other Temples we could not visit are Kuteti Devi Temple, Ekadash Rudra Temple and the Gyaneshwar Temple which are also said to be worth a visit.

Other than the temples, there is a Nehru Mountaineering Institute or NIM which is a famous mountaineering training Institute in India. Trekkers and mountaineers can hire the different mountaineering gadgets and accessories from NIM for their adventure.

amazing clicks ... had darshan of kasi viswanatham and shakti trident by your lovely post...it is interesting to know the trident vibrates with the push of the finger...I believe some kind of energy has been channeling into this trisulam and protecting mankind ...

Arti, this is wonderful! I have been catching up with your posts, so havent left comments everywhere... but wanted to tell you that following your journey has been wonderful! Its been a very long time since i did this circuit, and then it was a hurried trip, so thanks to you i can now plan a detailed trip whenever i decide to go again!

All these temples are a mighty testimony of an ancient culture and beauty.My hope is that the people of India rooted in so many cultures and spread all over the world for centuries, must be allowed to live in peace with oneanother.Without love and peace religion is but a beautiful, but empty shell.

Wow...what an innovative blog and blog post. The-Mango-Man (aam aadmi) is really touched by the earnestness of your effort to put up such a comprehensive and engaging post. And it is the little stories that you gathered, and not extracted out of internet, is what gives this blog a unique identity. Also, the snaps are of such good resolution, light and angle that it brings to life the saying "A picture is worth a thousand words". My good wishes are with you...keep posting

@Magiceye @Sallie (FullTime-Life) The absence of crowds is due to the off season. The main temple of Gangotri (Uttarkashi is a major town enroute to this revered shrine high up in the mountains)was just about to close and hence the pilgrim traffic was very very thin!

@Sallie (FullTime-Life) I was there in November. So then the days are short! Plus, it being a mountainous area, the sun tends to hide behind the mountain and the cloud cover contributing to the reason for the early darkness.

Hi Arti! I am reading this post in the morning, so it such a divine coincidence, in the morning I got Bhole Baba's Darshan! The Trishul is unbelievable. and I pray I may visit there to experience that magic. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks a lot for accepting my suggestion too, it is very easy now, without word verification. But I am worried, you will have to deal with spam comments. I am searching some spam block plugin, if I get it, I will surely tell you!

Nice reading once again for a person who may never visit those places in real life (I mean 'Me'). Hope someday you will come over to Kollur near Byndoor and we can meet then. It is a amazing place and considering your choice, I am damn sure you will like it too

How fortunate you are to live in India, to be able to visit the sacred temples and walk the hallowed paths vibrating with holy energy from the lotus feet of God's beloved saints and sages. I pray one day I will touch my forehead to Indian soil. I love my Ohio, but my heart longs to bathe in the Holy Ganges. Jai Ram!

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Hi there! I am Arti - often found on the road travelling with my best friend, inspiration and guide - my father. I love travelling to spiritual places and consider my external yatras as continuous learning journeys within; a journey where I seek to discover and experience the real treasures of this life someday. Besides helping my own self, this blog of mine also aims to help those planning to make a trip to these places or simply provide a virtual tour to the rest.
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